Hao Ren noticed that there seemed to be a problem with Graeme's negotiation with the soldiers. The Knight of the Broken Blade, who had been particularly confident along the way, came back with a slightly defeated look. Hao Ren could not help but ask, "Is there a problem?"
"There's an accident," Graeme shook his head and told him what the soldier had told him. "This is different from the plan I knew when I set off. The princess and the Grand Duke of the North have brought forward the march plan by more than a little. This way, the Knights of the Broken Blade and the rebels who responded to the call from other parts of the empire are likely to be separated from the offensive at the front line."
Graeme had a puzzled look on his face. Apparently, he did not know why Princess Constance had launched the attack so urgently.
"It seems that the princess is not facing a very optimistic situation." Vivian, however, sensed that something was wrong. "It is a military taboo to launch an attack in advance when one is not prepared. There is only one possibility for her to do so, and that is the situation …"
"Are we not going into the city?" Lily blinked as she looked at Hao Ren and then at Snowfrost City. "Are we going to turn around and go after the princess?"
"Let's go into the city and rest for the night." Hao Ren patted Lily on the head to dispel the idea of running hundreds of miles into the snowfield to the front line. Although he understood the excitement of the sled dog when she saw the world of ice and snow, the team was not full of ice and snow brutes like her. Charlemagne and the others were all ordinary people. They had followed the team from the southern border of the empire, and they had broken through the checkpoints, crossed the Black Pine Forest, and been bombarded by the ancient weapons with bombs. They were already exhausted. If they were to run hundreds of miles across the snowfield to the front line, even a man of steel would have to kneel …
And Hao Ren did plan to rest in the city. Not only was he a little tired from the journey, but more importantly, a lot of the information he had just collected needed to be sorted out. He was also curious if there would be any clues in Snowfrost City, which was the closest place to Gorgon's Abyss.
Graeme also nodded. "That's for the best. I heard that there's going to be a snowstorm tonight. Although our car is protected, there might be wandering monsters from the North in the blizzard. It's not a good idea to continue on the road. "
Vivian asked curiously, "Do we have a place to stay in the city?"
"The Knights of the Broken Blade have a station in Snowfrost City, but if Charlemagne and Her Highness Awenna are willing, I can arrange for everyone to go to the posthouse for important envoys. It will be more comfortable there," Graeme said in a chivalrous manner.
Charlemagne nodded. "Then I will have to trouble you. We have arrived at Princess Constance's land, and I believe my sister and I are safe here."
Thus, under the guidance of Graeme, an active Knight of the Broken Blade, Hao Ren and his party finally entered the largest fortress in the north, Snowfrost City.
After passing through the entrance of the fortress, which was made up of a large number of enchanted stone bricks and defensive machinery, the true appearance of Snowfrost City appeared in front of everyone. The layers of thick walls were like a protective shell covering the exterior of the 'mountain city'. However, the interior of the fortress would not be dim because of the walls. On the multi-layered walls, a large number of ice crystals were arranged in an exquisite array, guiding the sunlight from the outside into the first layer of the city. On the first layer of the mountain, there were more crystal clusters growing along the buildings. Those crystal clusters extended all the way into the hollowed-out mountain and guided the sunlight from the outside into the first layer of the mountain …
And the whole of Snowfrost City glowed in such a miracle of light drawn by the ice crystals.
Because of the special structure of Snowfrost City, the city could be said to be three-dimensional, and the posthouse for important envoys was located near the castle of the lord, which was close to the top of the mountain and thousands of meters above the residential area below. But visitors did not have to climb up the winding stone stairs between the buildings, because there were as many as 122 lifts operating day and night in the mountain, just like a public transportation system, providing convenience for the people living in the city.
Hao Ren and his party put away the car again. Accompanied by Graeme and several northern soldiers, they passed through the traffic area at the bottom of the city and entered the lift hidden in the mountain. With a slight mechanical friction, the large lift platform began to accelerate steadily toward the top of the mountain.
"This platform is specially prepared for guests who want to visit the top of the mountain. It doesn't stop halfway, and it's twice as fast as the other platforms." A Northern Territory soldier who was in charge of escorting the guests introduced the city proudly. "You can see a transparent passage in the middle. It's made of ice with an everlasting effect, so you don't have to worry about falling. You can also see the inner city through it."
The platform moved briskly in the inclined elevator channel. Every once in a while, there would be a light source passing by. It was the crystal clusters buried in the mountain. The sunlight from the outside world was sent into the city through the crystal clusters, just like a natural light tube. Not long after, Hao Ren saw the 'transparent passage'.
It was like a glass tube reserved for tourists. Through the crystal clear ice wall, Hao Ren saw the inner city of Snowfrost City. He saw a large number of buildings arranged in an orderly manner inside the mountain, including factories and other facilities. But probably because the army had already set off, the inner city was not as lively as he had imagined. Instead, it felt a little deserted. After all, every city in the north first existed as a military fortress. After a large number of soldiers were transferred away, the operation of the city naturally slowed down.
Suddenly, Hao Ren's attention was attracted by a particularly striking building in the inner city: it was a large building standing in the center of the mountain cavity. It was built of black stone, with neat, spear-like towers, and its main part was a palace divided into three floors.
The palace was clearly out of place with the surrounding buildings. It was enclosed separately, surrounded by walls, and patrolled by soldiers. If he had not known that the Grand Duke of the North's castle was located on the top of the mountain, Hao Ren would almost have thought that the palace in the belly of the mountain was the lord's mansion.
"What's that?" Lily also saw the black palace and could not help but ask curiously.
"Ah, that's the old palace," Graeme replied casually. "Thousands of years ago, His Majesty the Emperor lived there."
Although he was already on the side of the 'rebels', Graeme did not feel the slightest bit unnatural when he mentioned the word 'His Majesty the Emperor'. There was even a touch of respect in his tone, and the soldiers of the north around him did not show any unusual reaction, which made Hao Ren look at him a few more times.
"The old palace?" Lily was even more curious. "Wait a minute … You said that the Dragon Empire had moved its capital, and the old capital was in the north, so …"
"You don't even know this?" The soldiers of the north looked at Lily in surprise. "Snowfrost City is the old capital of the empire, but that was thousands of years ago."
"They don't know much about the history of the Dragon Empire." Graeme took over the conversation and changed the topic. "In fact, most of the city has been reconstructed in the style of a fortress. It's completely different from the old capital city back then. Of course, the old palace you see still retains its original appearance, and there are several other commemorative places that also maintain the appearance of the old capital. If you are interested, I can take you to visit these places tomorrow. Except for the palace, many places are open to the public. "
Hao Ren looked at the old palace that was about to disappear from his sight and whispered to himself, "Thousands of years of history … It's really interesting that it can still stand intact."
The voice of the MDT sounded in his mind. "What's more interesting is that there are some weak energy pulses released under the old palace, and the energy sample is quite complex."
Hao Ren nodded slightly and replied in his mind, "This city is worth exploring."
Then he quickly added, "I mean the kind that won't explode!"
"… Well, I haven't said anything yet …" the MDT said.
Hao Ren was speechless.
With Graeme's introduction and Charlemagne and Awenna's' proof of identity ', the group settled in Snowfrost City very smoothly.
In fact, Hao Ren did not care how Graeme, Charlemagne, and the others negotiated with the temporary commander in the city. He was just looking forward to settling down in the hostel and beginning his own exploration.
Before nightfall, everyone finally moved into a warm inn near the Count's castle. They had a sumptuous meal in the warm hall with a fireplace.
It was arguably the first proper meal that Hao Ren and his team had had since entering this world in a stable environment.
If it were not for Vivian and Hao Ren holding her down, Lily would have eaten the entire table …
After dinner, the already exhausted group naturally had no interest in any sightseeing activities. Hao Ren also returned to the guest room that he had arranged for himself after saying goodnight to the others.
The summit platform where the posthouse was located was not blocked by the city wall. The cold night spilled into the room through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, and the fiery red light of Gorgon's Abyss was also mixed in with the night, as if the air was filled with blood.
The city had quieted down, but the wind from the plains was gradually getting stronger and whistling across the world, and the shadow of a blizzard could already be seen in the wind.
Hao Ren knocked on the MDT's shell. "Synchronized vision, help me keep an eye on the surroundings."
The MDT flickered, and then Hao Ren felt his vision blurred, and his vision suddenly changed.
A world full of thunder and flames appeared in front of him.
The vision came from probe number three, and the current position was the outer area of Gorgon's Abyss.
The first thing that appeared in front of Hao Ren was the wreckage of a huge starship with striking words on it:
The Apocalypse.
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